


take a halloween candy break

by grootmorning



Category: Daredevil (TV), The Punisher (TV 2017)
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Halloween, Happy Halloween y'all, Karen makes Frank do stuff, What's new
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-31
Updated: 2017-10-31
Packaged: 2019-01-26 18:20:04
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,761
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12563380
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/grootmorning/pseuds/grootmorning
Summary: the big bad Punisher should take a break on All Saints' Eve, even if it's only Karen who's convinced of his sainthood status.





	take a halloween candy break

“Frank?” Karen’s brow furrowed confusedly. She nearly tripped as she tried to kick her front door shut with all the brown paper bags in her arms.

“Ma’am.” He ducked into her apartment fully, careful to step around her white rug.

The contents of her grocery bags were unceremoniously dumped out on the kitchen table and Karen hurriedly gathered up the smaller treats and poured them into a large bowl. “Frank. You know I love your random visits and all the chats that we have, but this might not be a great time.”

With an eyebrow raised, he watched as even more bags of candy spilt out of the last bag she hadn't emptied, across the table and teeter precariously over the edge. “Having company?”

It was then Karen paused. She straightened, and distractedly tucked a lock of hair behind her ears before staring curiously at him. “It’s Halloween.”

That stopped him.

Halloween. Memories of Lisa and Frank Jr. excitedly sorting through their candy hauls of the night filled his mind and he closed his eyes, trying to recall the last Halloween they’d spent together. Frank Jr. had wanted to go as Daddy. His throat closed up and his grip tightened around his gun.

“Frank, I - “

They were interrupted by Karen’s front door opening and a loud chorus of “Trick or treat!” Karen cursed under her breath as she realised that she hadn't kicked the door shut fully.

Frank’s hand whipped behind his back and he stepped slightly further back into the shadows. Running away would look too suspicious now but he could at least minimise the problems his presence might cause for Karen. Halloween. He’d completely forgotten about it. It had just been another night, another night of the same old same old. He hadn’t noticed the kids that had been beginning to spill out onto the streets, nor the carved pumpkins that dotted the steps.

It had just been another night.

Karen was handing out candy to the children with a big smile. She would. A big heart, that Karen. The ends of his mouth curved up in a smile before he’d even realised it, and he fought to keep it down.

“Who’s that?” A child’s sharp shrill had his smile fading and Frank immediately looked around for a room he could duck into or a piece of furniture he could throw himself behind. Maybe the couch would help.

Karen closed her eyes before quickly opening them again. “That’s just my uh, boyfriend. He’s shy.” There really was no getting around it. She knew kids would not let go of something once they got a hold of it and she couldn’t say no one when they saw somebody there. She’d deal with Frank after.

“What’s he dressed as?” The little girl in the fairy princess costume stage whispered.

Karen’s mind went blank. “Uh. The Punisher.” She could feel the gaze from her living room burning a hole into her back. Okay, so she panicked and blurted the truth. Sue her.

“Who’s that?”

“He’s a superhero.” Seeing no other alternative, Karen turned and held out a hand. “Frank, c’mon.”

“Ma'am. No.”

“Frank,” Karen hissed. “They’ve already seen you. Get out here right now before they come in.”

Faced with the possibility of Karen yelling at him, Frank considered his options and stepped out hesitantly. In a few steps, he was next to Karen, taking her hand. He looked down at the kids in front of him who were staring up at him in wonder.

“Your bruises look so real!”

Frank wasn’t sure if the little boy in a policeman outfit knew the irony of him being the one to say it to Frank but hey, he was a kid. “Thanks, kid.”

A loud chorus of “Thank you for the candy!” echoed through the apartment before Karen and Frank were left standing in her doorway, still holding hands.

Frank moved to pull away when Karen abruptly said, “Let’s go out.”

“What?”

“Let’s take a walk outside. You never really do that anymore.”

“Ma’am, with all due respect, have you lost your mind? I’m a wanted criminal,” Frank reminded her as he moved to shut the door.

Karen rolled her eyes. “You forget, I told the kids you're a superhero."

Frank snorted. "You told them I was your boyfriend too so that's two lies for you today, ma'am." The words left Frank's mouth before he could fully process them and they both stood there awkwardly, still holding hands.

Sighing, Karen turned to face him fully, "It’s Halloween, Frank. Everybody’s going to be in costume. I bet there’s a Daredevil costume out there.”

A loud derisive noise escaped him before he could hide it and Karen giggled, the awkward tension dispelling.

“You’re not in costume.” Frank didn’t expect her nervous laughter and he quirked a brow at her, a thought coming to him. “You already have a costume, don’t you?”

“I was going to put it on before I got interrupted,” Karen looked down at their hands like she’d suddenly remembered that they were holding hands and dropped it, looking away.

Frank sighed. He never really could say no to her. “If you’re making me go out there, I’m not going out there alone.”

Karen waved him off with a big smile. “Fine. Give me ten minutes.”

Frank was pouring his second cup of coffee when her bedroom door opened. It was a good thing his cup was already back on the table because he was not expecting Karen in a skintight black suit. She had teased out her hair and gone a bit more dramatic in the makeup department than what she usually did. Frank swallowed, glad to have the mouth of scalding hot coffee that shocked him back to his senses.

“Grease?” He guessed and felt pleased when she nodded.

“I look okay?”

Okay wasn’t the word running through Frank’s head right now. A couple of more descriptive adjectives would be more appropriate but the better part of his conscience kept his mouth shut. He nodded and stepped up to her, offering her his arm silently. Her warm hand slipped around his and Frank had to physically keep himself from reacting. Down, boy, he told himself. He had come here tonight just to check on her and have a decent conversation. Not lose his mind and confess his growing feelings. There was a time for that, which was never.

Strolling arm in arm with a woman, out in the open, surrounded by happy excited children was not something Frank expected to do again in his lifetime. He pulled Karen closer to avoid a large group of teenage boys running around making mischief amongst the younger children. 

Glancing at one who stared at Karen just that little bit longer, he bared his teeth, smiling a little as the boy blanched and scurried away.

“Frank, look!” Karen laughed as she pointed out a little boy jumping from sidewalk to sidewalk wearing a red mask with horns.

“Well, that has got to be the only time Red wasn’t annoying.” His comment had her laughing again and Frank tried to ignore the pleasure that settled in his gut at the sound.

They wandered down the street. Frank was mainly letting Karen guide them. This wasn’t in his plans for the night anyway, but Karen seemed to be having a good time.

It wasn’t too long before they found themselves back outside Karen’s building. Somehow, they came to a stop and Karen was content simply looking around at the Halloween decorations littering the street and the random groups of kids that ran by laughing.

She looked back at him, grinning. “Did you have fun?”

Frank thought about how Karen had picked up some candy along the way, unwrapping the chocolate and handing some to him. He thought about how she’d patiently explain his costume - superhero costume, she insisted - to kids who asked with wide blinking eyes whose outfit he was wearing. The warmth by his side had long dissipated but he swore he still felt it there. Frank looked at her. “It was okay, I guess.”

“Liar,” Karen’s grin got wider. “You had fun. You just don’t want to tell me because you think it’ll detract from your brooding Punisher character.”

“I don’t brood.”

“You do,” Karen stepped closer, using a finger to press at the lines between his brow. “Look, these are brooding lines.”

The space between them was suddenly reduced and Frank blinked as his vision was suddenly filled with nothing but Karen. A very gorgeous, made up, Karen who was smiling at him like he didn’t murder eight people before dropping by.

She dropped her finger and let her hands fall back to her sides, “I’m glad you had fun, Frank. You don’t get to have fun very often these days.”

“Thanks,” Frank said gruffly. _I had fun because of you_ went unsaid but he knew she understood.

She pressed a kiss to his cheek. Frank closed his eyes, as she leaned towards him, towards his armour that had been stained with more blood than was imaginable, towards him, who shouldn’t even be near her right now. Opening his eyes, Frank reached a hand out to catch her jaw. He let his fingers run through her hair. He let himself pull her back towards him as he slanted his lips over hers.

A moment of weakness, he told himself. But he knew instantly it was a lie, and not even the first lie of the night. Karen was a lifetime of weakness, and would continue to be because she had buried deep within him, settled inside his heart and had no intention of leaving.

Frank felt thin arms wind around his waist and he stepped closer into Karen’s space, seeking her warmth. Karen hummed contentedly as she tilted her chin up, chasing his lips whenever they left hers.

She had her eyes closed even as he pulled back, lips turned up into a small smile. The realisation of what he’d just done settled onto his shoulders and a small wave of panic set in. Frank tried to step back, out of her arms but Karen simply locked her elbows, holding him in place.

They both knew Frank could leave anytime he wanted to. Karen’s arms were doing nothing to keep him there. And still he stayed.

A slow blink, before she opened her eyes fully. “I didn’t know the big bad Punisher liked Halloween that much.”

“Ma’am, after today, I would celebrate Halloween every day.”

Her laughter would ring in his ears for days.

**Author's Note:**

> happy halloween everybody! i had this idea ages ago and was vibrating with excitement waiting for halloween to post it :) i hope you like it
> 
> tumblr: [here](http://ltfrankcastle.tumblr.com)  
> twitter: [here](http://twitter.com/ltfrankcastie)


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